Flock cutter



Oct. 13, .1942.-

A. HAUGE FLOCK CUTTER Filed June 1939 Patented Oct. 13, 1942 FLOCK CUTTER Andrew Hauge, Claremont, N. H., assignor to Claremont Waste Manufacturing Company, a corporation oLNew Hampshire Application June 8, 1939, Serial No. 278,125

9 Claims.

My invention relates to flock cutters.

It has among its objects to provide improved knife adjusting mechanism for such a machine and, more particularly, such an improved mechanism especially adapted to use in connection with a flock cutter of the type described and claimed in my Patent No. 2,145,177, patented January 24, 1939. A further object of my invention is to provide improved individual knife adjusting mechanismwhereby the stationary knives may be adjusted independently relative to the mechanism for simultaneously adjusting all the knives, in such manner that any conflict between the cutting cylinder and any particular set of knives may be readily and quickly remedied without disturbing the adjustment of the other knives. A still further object of my invention is to provide improved individual lag adjusting mechanism whereby it is made possible to adjust any selected lag in such manner as to effect an adjustment of the knives thereon during the operation of the machine and from the exterior of the casing, without disturbing the cooling water supply connections to the lag while the latter is being adjusted. Other objects of my invention are to provide such improved adjusting mechanism enabling the opposite ends of the knives to be differently adjusted as desired, and to provide such mechanism adapted to make fine adjustments and to make such adjustments positively, and further to enable the desired adjustments to be made very readily and quickly, and also to enable such improved adjusting mechanism to be provided on an existing machine at small expense. ,These and other objects and advantages of my improvements will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an end View of a flock cutter equipped with my improvement;

Fig; 2 is a detail sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1, the knives and one carrying lag being shown in side elevation and their supporting and adjusting means being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section of the machine showing the knife carrying lagsand knives thereon;

Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the adjusting mechanisms and its associated structure, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation and partial section of the structure shown in Figure 4, the section being on line 5-5 of that figure.

-In this illustrative construction, the machine is of the general type described and claimed in my previously mentioned patent, and includes a rotating cutter cylinder I and cooperating stationary knives 2 carried on water cooled lags 3 radially adjustable relative to a machine frame 4 by cranks 5 pivotally connected at 6 to an adjusting member or ring I, so that all of the lags 3 with the knives thereon may be simultaneously adjusted radially upon operation of suitable actuating mechanism 8, 9 and I0 operated by an adjusting wheel II; my improvements herein, comprising improved independent adjusting mechanism whereby the several lags 3 and the knives 2 thereon may be individually adjusted, all as hereinafter more fully described.

Referring more particularly to this improved individual knife adjusting mechanism, it will be observed that th same is herein associated with the ends l2 of the lags 3, as shown in detail in Figures 2, 4 and 5. As in my previous construction, these ends I2 are round and carried on the outer extremities of the crank arms 5 and held in position by plates I3,connected to enlargements I4 on the ends of the crank arms by bolts I5. Herein, it will be noted that improved eccentric bushings or sleeves I6 surround these round portions I2 on the ends of the lags and form journals therefor between the plates I3 and the portions I4 on the cranks. As shown, these bushings are slightly longer than the bearings provided on the plates I3 and portions I4 and not only engage shoulders I! at the inner ends of the portions I2 in such manner as to space the larger intermediate portions of the legs from contact with the plates I3 and portions I4, but also extend outward, as shown at I8, beyond the ends I2 and the parts I3 and I4. Further, it will be observed that these eccentric bushings I6 are disposed coaxially with the lag water supply passages I9 leading axially through the portions I2 from supply erating and while cooling'fluid is being supplied several knives 2 may be adjusted on their lags 3 by the controlling mechanism controlled by the wheel I I, each individual set of knives may be further individually adjusted as necessary, by retation of its eccentric bushings I6. Thus, if it appears during the operation of the machine, that one of the sets of stationary knives is too close to the rotary cutter, it is only necessary, after loosening bolts l5 clamping its lag in position, to apply a spanner wrench to the apertures 2| in the selected bushings l3 and then turn that bushing as far as necessary to move that end of the knife outward to clear the cylinder. Obviously, through providing aneccentric bushing, it is possible to make very fine adjustments of the individual knives not only at one end, but differently at both ends if necessary. For example, if, due to distortion caused by heat, the proper space between the edges of certain stationary knives and of the rotating cylinder is closed up, a. 1

proper spacing may be readily and quickly obtained through adjustment of the eccentric l6. Further, should it appear that adjustment of both ends of the lag is necessary, such an adjustment can be readily effected through the eccentrics acting upon both ends of this lag; one end, for example, being moved out and the other moved in, or vice versa. Obviously, when the parts are properly adjusted, the same may be fixed in their proper relation by merely again tightening the bolts l5.

As a result of my improvements, it will be observed that it is unnecessary to disturb the adjustment of any more than one set of knives at a time, the remainder of the knives remaining in their fixed relation to one another and adjustable simultaneously by their adjusting mechanism. Further, it will be evident that my improved eccentric adjustment mechanism may also be used to adjust the knives relative. to their cranks 5 prior to operation of the machine. Obviously, through the individual adjustments thus obtainable, it. is made possible to make the mechanism for adjusting all of the knives together, more effective in performing its function. Also, should any irregularity of adjustment appear during operation, for example, as a result of distortion by heat, it is further made possible readily and quickly to eliminate any objectionable contact without shutting down the machine. In all such adjustments, it will be evident that it is unnecessary to disturb in any way the fluid connections to the knife carrying lag. These and other advantages ofmy improvements will, however, be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While I have in this application specifically described one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form has been shown for purposes of illustration, and that the invention may be modified and embodied in other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder, a knife support located peripherally of said cylinder having a knife projecting into said casing means and cooperating with said cylinder and also having end portions, relatively fixed supporting means for said portions including a portion of said casing, and adjusting means coaxsupport for disposing said knife in flock cutting relation out of contact with said cylinder.

2. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder, a plurality of knife supports located peripherally of said cylinder having knives projecting into said casing means and cooperating with said cylinder and also having end portions, relatively fixed supporting means for said portions including a portion of said casing, and eccentric adjusting sleeves coaxial with said end portions and independently rotatable to move either end portion of its knife support in either direction for disposing said knife in flock cutting relation out of contact with said cylinder.

. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder,

. casing means substantially enclosing said cylini'al with said end portions and rotatable into diff'erent angular 'reiat'ions therewith to adjust said der, a knife support located peripherally of said cylinder having end portions, relatively fixed supporting means for said portions including a portion of said casing, rotatable eccentric adjusting sleeves rotatable on said end portions and turning portions on said sleeves projecting beyond said end portions and said supporting means and having radial turning apertures.

4. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder, a knife supporting lag located peripherally of said cylinder and adjustable radially thereon and having a knife projecting into said casing means and cooperating with said cylinder and also having end portions, means for adjusting said lag including radially movable means on said casing cooperating with said end portions, and means also cooperating with said end portions for independently adjusting said lag relative to said last mentioned means to dispose said knife in flock cutting relation out of contact with said cylinder.

5. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder and carrying cooperating stationary knives peripherally disposed completely around said cylinder and projecting into said casing means into positions to cooperate with said cylinder on all sides thereof, means for equally adjusting all of said knives radially toward or from said cylinder in one operation including knife supporting journal means located adjacent the opposite ends of each of said knives, and means. associated with the journal means of certain of said knives for independently adjustingv said knives relative to said cylinder and said first mentioned adjusting means.

6. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder, stationary knives carried by said casing and peripherally disposed around said cylinder and projecting into position to cooperate with said cylinder, knife supporting journal means located adjacent opposite endsof certain of said knives, and means for manually adjusting said journal means for individual knives toward and from said cylinder to vary the spacing offan individual knife from said cylinder.

7. In a flock cutter, a rotating. cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing sai'd'cylinder, stationary knives carried by said casing and peripherally disposed around said cylinderand projecting into position to cooperate with. said cylinder, and mechanism on said casing for adjusting certain of said knives including knife supporting journal means located adjacent the opposite ends of 'each of said knives and separately manually adjustable means at opposite ends of individual knives for varying the spacing between said casing and said journal means to adjust said knives relative to one another and said cutter.

8. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder, casing means substantially enclosing said cylinder, peripherally disposed knife supporting members having outer ends mounted on said casing and carrying stationary knives disposed around said cylinder and projecting into said casing means into positions to cooperate with said cylinder, and means for independently adjusting certain of said knives relative to said cylinder, said independent adjusting means being carried on the outer ends of said members and comprising knife adjusting eccentric sleeves.

9. In a flock cutter, a rotating cutter cylinder,

a casing substantially enclosing said cylinder, knife carrying lag members disposed around said cylinder having end portions mounted on supports including a portion of said casing, cooperating stationary knives carried by said lag members and projecting into said casing into positions to cooperate with said cylinder, lag cooling means having fluid supply connections to said members, and means for independently adjusting said lag members and the knives thereon relative to said cylinder while the cutter cylinder is rotating and while maintaining said connections including eccentric sleeves acting upon said end portions and independently adjustable to vary the adjustment 15 of the knives carried by said lag members.

ANDREW HAUGE. 

